Celebrating FABULOUS weddings on a tight budget!

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Fall Wedding in Indiana

Meet Isabel and Abe! They were married this past fall in Indiana. They wanted to have a fantastic day and still keep it on a budget that they could handle on their own. Being a professional Life Coach (http://www.compassionatecoachingih.com/index.html) Isabel believes “if you can dream it you can do it!”. And she did! Not only did she stay in her budget, but wait until you hear how she made $500 to put towards their honeymoon! Take a look at the creative ways she was able to pull off a fabulous wedding for $5,000.

Q: I know a “frugal” or “low-budget” wedding could mean different things to different people. So, what did it mean to you?

A: Having a great wedding with all the people we love but staying within a budget since we wanted to pay for it ourselves.

Q: How much was your PLANNED total?

A: $6000

Q: How much was your ACTUAL total?

A: $5000

Q: What was your biggest budget saving tip that you can share with us?

A: Keeping your guest numbers on the lower end, being creative with decorations,

and opting for a smaller but adorable venue. We auctioned off some of our decoration items at the end of the night – worked out great

Q: Tell me more about this auction. Was this something that your guests knew was happening in advance?

A: Well, some of the centerpieces we gave away as thank you gifts for those who helped us setting everything up etc so we didn’t have to spend any additional money and they all loved it.

Some of the guests knew about the auction especially family member who just told others. But some of them didn’t. We had the DJ announce it (instead of the dollar dance or so). Most of the decoration we auctioned off were my paintings that were part of the fall decoration on the walls. If I remember it right, we made over $500 or $600 which went towards our honeymoon. We had wine glasses made with fall decoration on it that everyone was allowed to take home – so we integrated the dishes/ glasses with guest gifts. Online you can get great deals and they looked awesome.

A: I did a lot of research online but also already had a picture in mind in what I wanted to create. There had been too many books and magazines out there that would have added to my budget so I avoided that.

Q: What was the most important service you spent part of your budget on?

A: photographer

Q: What was your favorite moment of the day?

A: The wedding ceremony at the church

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of the wedding planning for you?

A: getting everyone involved aligned with our budget plans. My husbands family is very big so making the decision on who to invite, was hard. But it seemed to work out just fine – some we invited didn’t come and other we did not invite showed up instead.

Q: Is there anything you would have done differently?

A: I would have taken more time to choose a photographer.

Q: What advice would you give to a bride planning her own frugal wedding?

A: Don’t stress about what others may think and want you to do with your wedding. You don’t have to impress anyone and you don’t have to invite everyone. With clear communication and expectation everyone understood and was very understanding and helpful. Ask for help and support. Forget about a fancy rehearsal dinner – pizza and sandwiches totally work and everyone loves it.

It is your special day and you can have it however you want. Even on a budget a wedding can be incredible beautiful.

All The Little Details!

Wedding Location: A small church in Plymouth, Indiana (cost us about $150)

Reception Location: An old Club house in Plymouth, Indiana (about $300 for 2 days)

Photographer: Jeff Polk Photography ($1100 – was not convinced of his work)

Dress: David’s Bridal (on sale for $400)

Hair: a small Salon in Plymouth, Indiana (for myself, my 3 bridesmaids and mother-in-law I believe it was $250)

Make up: myself

DJ: Krazy King Productions (great value for an amazing price We loved them. They are originally from Indianapolis, IN but travelled just for us.)